Can I just say that again? “Wow!” Today has been a great day, and I just don’t get to say that enough. It’s not that I don’t have good days or even great days. It’s just that things get so busy the “great” just goes flying by and I don’t stop to reflect until the humdrum days come. So, I want to take a moment out of this very busy day and just say, “Wow!”

The reason I want to write is because I cannot imagine making a living any other way and still being happy. I’ve tried various jobs and experienced various degrees of unhappiness doing those jobs. I love to write, and as long as I believe what I’m writing, I’ll write just about anything. Getting paid for it is just one of those bonuses that life throws at me every now and then.

The reason why I write about neurodiversity is different. Blogging, of course, is cool, because you get to interact with people spread across the world in dialogues you’d not likely have in any other way. But writing for publication goes beyond even this. I’m working on a piece about The Autism Acceptance Project. E-mailing back and forth with Estee is always great. I’ve enjoyed her work for years and this project (mine, not TAAP), started expressly because of that friendship and my admiration for her work. Busy as she is, I’m pretty sure I could e-mail her just to say “Hi.”

Today, I had an opportunity I probably wouldn’t have attempted without this project. I got to call and speak with Michael Moon! And I have to say it again: “Wow!” Of course I’ve spoken with autistic adults before (I can’t imagine having a child diagnosed with autism and not seeking out autistic adults for their insight, though I know it happens), and I always have to shake myself afterwards and try to understand where the prejudice comes from. But, wow, is Michael an impressive person!

His photography is inspiring, his music is tingling (in a very good way), and his words are powerful. Get a taste of his work and know that is his time to devote to the site hasn’t quite caught up with his aspirations for its content (which means there’s more to come). But the content is rich and moving as it is, so check it out!

Busy or not, I couldn’t let this “great” fly by without one last “Wow!”

You can read more about Estee’s personal journey with autism. In this article, Dr. Baum describes Estee as, “really a fighter; she has lots of energy to push forward the cause of children with autism. She is a huge advocate for people with autism to have the right to be who they are and that society must accept them.” Estee has done her research and comes clearly on the side of rights, dignity, and quality of life for autistic individuals.

I have great respect for Estee and look forward to a renewed and on-going friendship with her. The work she does is very important for the autism community as she seeks to fight misinformation, prejudices, and discrimination where she finds it.